That afternoon, Wang Quan went to the Technique Transmission Hall to look for spells.
The four major categories-feng shui, earth veins, ritual protocols, and the netherworld-had spells as numerous as hairs on an ox.
He studied one from each category, repeating the process.
He had the Ten Thousand Scrolls Dao Canon and the [First-Rank Dao Seal], after all.
As long as he memorized a spell, his Yin Spirit needed only to ponder it briefly before he could cast it perfectly.
Compared with the tedious, slow process of refining spells, his efficiency in mastering them was astonishing.
Other cultivators, however, could not learn as quickly as he could.
For one thing, they lacked a [First-Rank Dao Seal]. Even if they later mastered the Ten Thousand Scrolls Dao Canon, they could not fully fathom spells at the perfect level. Their spells always fell a little short of his, and they still needed a period of practice to become familiar with them.
With the [First-Rank Dao Seal] supporting him, he could use them right away.
That afternoon, he analyzed twenty or thirty spells from each of the four major categories.
The more spells he mastered, the more profound and wondrous he found them.
"When I have time, I'll analyze every spell in the Lower Court and master them all completely."
Early the next morning:
After gathering purple qi to nourish his Yin Spirit, Wang Quan replenished the [Plain Moon Paper-Cutting Box] with Moon-Pattern Paper, then picked up the box and headed straight for Immortal-Welcoming Mountain.
Immortal-Welcoming Mountain stood at the outermost edge of the Market Ward. For those coming from the surrounding regions to seek immortality at the Lower Court, it was their first stop.
Day or night, the place bustled with people and demons coming and going, lively beyond measure.
However, those who came here were not newcomers recruited by the Drowning Dao Lower Court, so they enjoyed no protection here.
Many newly arrived humans and demons were swindled away the moment they let their guard down.
The luckier ones became slaves, serving others, testing medicines or cultivation methods, or even working in the mines.
The less fortunate went together to become brothers inside a Human Emperor Banner.
As for the bones and bodies left after death, their skins were peeled off and bones extracted to make painted skins and skeletal warriors. Their organs were dug out to be rented out or refined into magic treasure embryos. Even their flesh and blood were cultivated into meat fields that produced secret meat for martial artists to eat.
In short, whether human or demon, anyone who was swindled generally came to a bad end.
Here, not only ordinary humans, demons, and spirits were cheated-even cultivators frequently fell victim.
There was a pavilion on Immortal-Welcoming Mountain, large enough to hold over a thousand people.
Many cultivators gathered here to trade goods, hold forth on lofty subjects, hunt for fools, or wait for someone.
The moment Wang Quan entered the pavilion, several people crowded around him. "Brother, want to team up for an adventure? We just found a treasure map. Supposedly, it leads to a Golden Core patriarch's cave abode."
"Senior brother, my wife is fair-skinned and beautiful, but sadly, I can no longer rise to the occasion, leaving my vast estate without an heir. Please fulfill my wife's wish for a child. I'll offer five million coins as payment."
"Brother, we found an injured, unaffiliated Foundation Establishment cultivator. Let's kill him together and split his possessions fifty-fifty."
Wang Quan remained silent.
These people were much like the scammers in his previous life, using simple methods to screen their targets.
They did not try to cheat shrewd people; they preyed specifically on fools.
Soon, seeing that Wang Quan would not speak, they lost interest and moved on to seek their next target.
Before long, a cloud drifted over.
It was a seven-colored cloud. As it landed, two Daoist nuns jumped down.
The nun who looked like a little girl snapped her fingers, and the cloud shot into the sky, trailing a long plume of smoke before vanishing among the other clouds.
Wang Quan confirmed their identities through his token.
The two nuns smiled. "Flower-Scatter Daoist!"
Wang Quan nodded. "Dream Nun, Officiant Daoist Nun!"
"Just the three of us?"
The Officiant Daoist Nun chuckled. "That's right, just us three!"
"When the work officially begins, we'll find some temporary workers. If anything goes wrong, we can have them carry the black pot for us."
Wang Quan nodded. "Excellent!"
A short while later, the three descended the mountain together and walked into the mountain range.
"Flower-Scatter Daoist, how many spells have you learned that can suppress anomalies?"
Anomalies were similar to ghosts and otherworldly heavenly demons, formless and shapeless, existing somewhere between reality and illusion.
Wang Quan smiled. "I learned over thirty."
In truth, he had mastered over thirty from each of the four major categories.
The Officiant Daoist Nun looked rather surprised. "You're quite clever, aren't you?"
"Learning over thirty spells in one afternoon and one night is quite an achievement."
"In a bit, you'll survey the terrain and look for a suitable burial site."
"Let me see what you can do!"
"If you're skilled enough, I'll give you more Green Fly Coins this time."
Wang Quan nodded. "No problem."
The three entered the mountains.
They had not gone far before they noticed several clouds following them overhead.
Wang Quan looked up and saw people furtively parting the mist, poking their heads out to watch them.
Others were holding mirrors and similar objects, aiming them at the three.
Even more brazenly, a huge bull's head emerged from the underside of a roiling black cloud, its bronze-bell-sized eyes rolling wildly.
He brushed a hand over his box. "Are these fellows trying to rob us?"
Dream Nun chuckled. "Probably some reckless new arrivals."
"If they were old hands, they'd recognize the Officiant and me and wouldn't dare come looking for trouble."
"Wait a moment and watch what I can do!"
The next second, she swept a small hand across her waist. Dozens of belts fell away, then soared into the air and transformed into Beauty Snakes over ten feet tall.
Six arms sprouted beneath each Beauty Snake's ribs, making eight together with the arms at their shoulders. Wielding paired sabers, paired swords, bows and arrows, short spears, and shields, they charged into the clouds, bristling with killing intent.
Moments later, sounds of battle rang out from within the clouds.
One cloud wobbled away into the distance, scattering handful after handful of Green Beetles.
Another cloud dissipated, and three corpses tumbled down.
Before the corpses hit the ground, Dream Nun patted her slender waist. More belts flew out and wrapped around the bodies, instantly shrinking them to the size of candies before dropping them into her scented pouch.
The Officiant Daoist Nun took out a coin pouch and recited a scripture.
The falling Green Fly Coins sprouted wings and swarmed into the pouch.
Wails came from the last black cloud, and demon blood rained down. "Little lady, little beauty, stop hitting us! We give up!"
The next second, sixteen bull legs sprouted beneath the black cloud, and it galloped away.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Beauty Snakes descended from the sky, turning into belts that wrapped around Dream Nun's waist.
Wang Quan glanced at her slender waist and found that it was still small enough to encircle with his hands, without the slightest bulk.
Dream Nun sighed. "This batch of newcomers is far too weak."
"Only a few of the Demon Race newcomers have any skill. They might become notorious bandits someday."
"The rest... aren't worth mentioning."
The Officiant Daoist Nun chuckled. "More and more are cultivating the New Method. Naturally, their strength is declining."
"Come on, let's keep going."
The three set off again.
Wang Quan studied the mountain paths, the lay of the mountains and waterways, and even the areas where trees grew.
Seeing how intently he was studying everything, the Officiant Daoist Nun put a little finger in her mouth and whistled.
The next second, a seven-colored auspicious cloud descended from the sky. "Come on, let's take a look from up there."
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